


Reunion

by chailattemusings



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-31
Updated: 2013-08-31
Packaged: 2017-12-25 03:56:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/948349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chailattemusings/pseuds/chailattemusings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ray picks up Joel from the airport, after a two week vacation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

SFW, Joelay, heavy kissing and swearing. 1448 words.

Ray shifted from foot to foot, glancing around anxiously. It felt like the cheesiest end to a romantic comedy. His hands couldn’t stay still, and he shoved them in and out of his pockets, fingers grasping the cloth and fidgeting with each other. He told Ray one fifteen. The flight wasn’t delayed, but Ray checked for the fourth time on his phone. No, right on time. Maybe he was at the back. Ray could just imagine him standing around like a dope, letting everyone else ahead of him while he messed around with his luggage in the overhead bins.

He gulped. Patience. Two weeks of patience, working at the office and not seeing his face, never bumping into him in the halls, expecting his dimpled grin when they met in the break room, and disappointment when he was met with someone else. Joel needed the break, Ray knew that. And they couldn’t very well go together, the whole office would know. So he subjected himself to the emptiest office Ray felt since they started dating, while Joel enjoyed his vacation.

One twenty five. He had to be off the plane by now. Ray glanced at the luggage carousel, and back at the mass of people coming from the arrival area. Friends and family hugged and beamed with bright smiles. He could see couples, and Ray felt his throat close. He shouldn’t feel so nervous. They’d been together, what, three months? Nothing to get sappy about, and Ray certainly wouldn’t be crying like the woman twenty feet away who couldn’t stop sobbing long enough to say the ‘I love you’ that was clearly trying to escape her throat.

Ray shifted a couple feet away, still watching.

One thirty. This was getting ridiculous. Ray yanked his phone out and checked the flight schedules again. It had to be late. Joel said he would meet him as soon as he got off the plane. The gate was only a couple minutes away, it couldn’t take him this long-

“Hey, motherfucker!”

Ray stopped furiously thumbing his screen, and looked up. Relief and excitement filled his heart much too fast when he saw Joel wave at him from the edge of a crowd. Ray barely managed the patience to put his phone away before he ran, through the sea of bodies and straight into Joel’s arms.

“Careful!” Joel complained, forced to release his bag to take hold of his boyfriend.

“I missed you,” Ray said simply, pulling back to grin like an idiot. “You’re late.”

“By fifteen minutes. Can’t a guy get a bite to eat after an eight hour plane trip?” Joel held up his left hand, grasping a muffin that was smashed upon impact with Ray. “I’ve only been gone two weeks,” he added.

“Longest two weeks of my life,” Ray muttered, bending down to retrieve Joel’s carry on before it got stolen. “Anything else?” he asked, gesturing to the carousel.

“Nah, you know I pack light.” Joel took a bite of his crumbling muffin. “Now what?”

“Take a cab home, I guess.” Ray hesitated to move, staring at Joel while he finished the remainder of his food. All he wanted to do was kiss him, and the older man had the gall to fill his mouth with chocolate chip laden bread.

“Let’s go, then, numbnuts.” Joel smirked, and began walking toward the doors. Ray followed with his bag, the wheels clicking quietly against the cracks in the linoleum. As they walked, Ray wound his free hand around Joel’s, relishing the feel of their entwined fingers. Joel didn’t say anything, but squeezed Ray’s hand gently. It spoke more than words could.

The cab ride was mostly silent, Ray and Joel sitting together in the back with only light hand touches. Ray’s fingers danced across the back on Joel’s hand, before threading through his fingers, and leaving a moment later to play the skin once more. Joel merely watched, every few minutes using a finger to catch Ray’s as they moved. After a while, Ray grew bored, and took Joel’s hand again. He ached to feel more, even just another hug, but Joel wasn’t one for public affection. It would have to wait.

When they reached Joel’s apartment, they paid the driver and moved out quickly. Ray continued pulling Joel’s suitcase along while they walked. Joel got his keys and unlocked the door, as he shrugged out of his coat. Stale air rushed from the open doorway, and Ray breathed deeply. The entire place smelled like Joel, a scent he’d missed. He heard the door click shut, and barely had time to register Joel moving before he was slammed into the wall and lips assaulted his own.

“Joel,” Ray gasped as they parted, before diving into another kiss. The taste was exquisite, and Ray wrapped his arms around Joel’s neck, tugging him closer to beg for more.

“No fucking idea,” Joel said, nipping Ray’s bottom lip before he moved to his jaw, “how much, I missed you.” His kisses were quick and heated, making Ray’s heart pound.

“Me too,” he said, lifting his head to give Joel access to his neck. Joel took the opportunity eagerly, kissing and sucking the sensitive skin.

Both men jumped at the sound of the phone. Joel stopped his kisses, breathing against Ray’s neck as they listened. After a moment, the machine picked up, Joel’s recorded voice reading out the instructions mechanically.

“Joel, are you back from your gaycation yet?” Geoff, throwing in a meaningless insult. “We have a bit of a situation here with one of the shorts, we need to reshoot some shit. Can you get down here?” The voice paused a minute, and added, “Well, whenever you get home, run your ass to the office.”

“On a _Saturday_ ,” Joel hissed, leaning his head on the wall. Geoff wouldn’t make them come in on the weekend unless it was urgent. It must be the tenth anniversary short, it had a strict deadline and some of the scenes were complicated. “Fuck.”

“Sorry about that.” Ray put a hand on the back of Joel’s head, running it through his spiky hair. “It’ll have to wait until tonight, I guess.”

Joel moved from the wall, looking into Ray’s eyes, and straightened with a groan. He moved to grab his coat, and opened the door. “Let’s go.”

Ray quirked an eyebrow. “What, come with you? I have nothing to do with the shorts.”

“But I haven’t seen you in two weeks and I’m not letting you out of my sight for another day.” Joel grabbed Ray’s hand, tugging him toward the door. “Come on.”

“I can’t go in with you, they’ll figure it out!” Ray tried to free his hand, but Joel refused to release it. “Joel,” he said sternly.

In response, Joel moved in swiftly and kissed Ray. It was short and chaste, but enough to quiet the younger man. “Right now,” Joel said, “I don’t give a fuck. Come with me to work, idiot.”

Ray opened his mouth to protest, but Joel was already leaving, pulling Ray harshly after him. He stumbled out, nearly falling, but corrected himself as they walked around the building to Joel’s car.

“Joel, are you really sure?” Ray recalled how insistent he was when they started going out. Joel was known as the ladies’ man who never seemed to age, and he was wary of the multitude of gay jokes anyone in the office could throw their way.

“Yes,” he answered simply, only letting go of Ray to get in the driver’s side. He waited until Ray was sitting beside him and buckled to say, “It’s been three months. If they haven’t figured it out by now, they will soon.”

Ray tried to think of a response, and came up with nothing. They pulled out of the lot slowly, driving down the road and hitting traffic almost immediately. On a Saturday in Austin, it was hardly surprising. Joel sighed, slumping in his seat. “Geoff’s gonna be pissed,” he muttered.

Ray wasn’t paying attention, thinking of how the guys in Achievement Hunter would react. The news would spread like wildfire the minute Geoff and Gus saw them arrive together. Ray was fairly sure they had suspicions already.

He looked to his left, staring at Joel, his lips pouting attractively while his long fingers drummed the wheel. Ray licked his lip. After two weeks without him, he wanted any extra time with Joel he could get. And if he thought about it, Ray didn’t mind enduring their coworkers.

“Hey,” he said, touching Joel’s arm. Joel sat up straighter, turning to him. Ray smiled, and leaned forward to kiss his boyfriend’s cheek. “I missed you.”  


	2. Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ray and Joel reveal their relationship and deal with the complicated aftershock.

SFW, Joelay, swearing, 2060 words. 

Ray squirmed in the seat, alternating between fiddling with his pockets, glancing at his boyfriend, and biting his lip. As brave as he might want to be, and as much as hiding their relationship was Joel’s idea, Ray couldn’t help but worry what the others might think, or say. Joel drove on when traffic let up, and remained silent on their way to the office. He didn’t seem as worried as he should be about revealing themselves. Which they would be doing, without even saying a word. Maybe Joel didn’t think it through when he asked, or rather demanded, that Ray come with him to work. Maybe Ray could stay in the car and avoid all of this.

And maybe he could stop being such a pussy, Ray thought to himself. He wasn’t a worrier. YOLO. Joel was right, they would be found out eventually. Best to do it on their terms than have it sprung on them.

“Whatcha thinkin’ so hard about, kid?” Joel glanced briefly at Ray, before he returned his gaze to the road.

“Nothin’,” Ray muttered, turning to the window. “Just, you know, what everyone will say.” As much as he was embarrassed to be the party pooper of the situation, Ray couldn’t hide his feelings from Joel for long.

“It’ll be fine.” Joel was trying to assure him, but his voice wavered slightly.

Ray looked at him, and put a hand on his arm. “Yeah, it will.”

The drive to the office took longer than usual with the clogged streets. When they finally pulled into the parking lot, Geoff, Gus, and Burnie were already there, Burnie wearing his buttoned shirt and tie, Gus apparently dressed for the scene, in clothes no different from what he normally wore around the office. Even if Ray wanted to be a coward and hide in Joel’s car, the guys would spot him in less than a minute. Evidently the short, or part of it, was shot in the parking lot.

All heads flashed to Joel’s car when he parked. Ray shrunk slightly in his seat, and reprimanded himself. Everything would be fine. Joel hesitated, and stepped out, trying to look casual. Ray did the same, rubbing his hand against his shirt absentmindedly.

“Thank God, you’re finally here,” Geoff said, and furrowed his brow when he saw Ray. “What the fuck are you doing here? With, Joel?” Geoff paused as he spoke, looking at the car and back to the two men. “Whatever, we got work to do. Joel, get in costume.”

“Sure thing, boss,” Joel said, as if it were a normal day when he hadn’t come back from an exhausting plane ride and been pulled away from banging his boyfriend. Ray frowned, pushing his hands into his pockets. If they acted like nothing was up, so would he.

“Hey, Ray,” Burnie said, walking over from where he stood near the cameras.

“Hey,” Ray said, gulping. The teasing would start soon, he knew it. Fuck, why was Joel better at acting like he didn’t care? “How’s the filming?” Ray knew little to nothing about the shorts, never involved in the main Roosterteeth work.

“It’d be better if this scene hadn’t got fucked up,” Burnie replied, crossing his arms as his vision panned across the parking lot. He glanced at Ray, and back to the set. “So, ah, how was the sex?”

Ray blushed intensely, and looked toward the main door to avoid Burnie’s gaze. “What do you mean?” Best to play dumb and ignore him.

“Well, I figure it must’ve been pretty good, if you couldn’t leave Joel’s side long enough for him to film a scene.” Burnie grinned, and laughed at his own joke. Ray gulped again. He opened his mouth for a witty retort, and was interrupted by Geoff.

“Let’s get this moving so I can go home, you cunts!” Geoff waved his arms authoritatively.

“Guess that’s my cue.” Burnie gave Ray another sly grin. “Don’t worry, your boyfriend will be free to fuck you in a few hours.”

Ray only looked away again, and saw Joel come out of the office in full costume and make up. Forgetting where he was, Ray waved. Joel smiled, and waved back, before he strolled toward the cameras to prepare for filming.

Shooting went as slow as expected. Ray watched quietly, standing near the cameras. The scene made him laugh a bit the first time, and the second, but the twentieth time Ray’s patience wore thin. His eyes stayed fixed to Joel. He looked handsome in his dress shirt and tie, but as the minutes wore into hours, Ray started to picture himself tearing it off. Running his hands down Joel’s chest, kissing his neck, grabbing-

“Do you know how obvious you’re being?”

Ray was startled out of his thoughts, and turned to his left. Geoff stood next to him, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the scene work in front of them.

“What?” Ray frowned, adjusting his pants to make sure his fantasies hadn’t resulted in a pitched tent. There would be no end to that joke.

“I know that look,” Geoff said, with a small grin. “The way you’re watching him. And even if you didn’t look like a love sick puppy, coming here in his car made it obvious enough.”

Ray gulped, and sighed. “I’m not gonna live this down, am I?”

“Nope!” Geoff chuckled. “I don’t know why you bothered hiding it. You never went to the main office, and then you start finding excuses to visit every other day.”

“It was that obvious?” Ray glanced at Geoff again.

“The only difference is that now we get to rip on you to your face, instead of behind your back.”

Ray groaned, putting his face in his hands. “Joel’s gonna be pissed.”

Geoff shrugged. “Just make sure none of your lover’s quarrels happen at work.”

Lowering his hands, Ray said, “So you don’t care? That we’re, you know, together?”

“Don’t see why I should,” Geoff said, with a shrug. “I’ve got shit to do. See you later.” Geoff moved away to talk to Burnie, motioning towards the cameras.

Ray watched in silence, and looked for Joel again. He stood to the side, sipping a water. Ray glanced around, but everyone else was occupied. He walked over quickly, and gave a small smile when Joel noticed him.

“What’s up?” Joel screwed the cap back on his water.

“Just wanted to talk, I guess.” Ray stood close, his hand brushing Joel’s. Joel twitched, leaning away. “Geoff’s okay with it,” Ray said, too fast. He bit his lip, looking at Joel expectantly.

“Oh. Hm.” Joel clenched his hands. “Good. I wouldn’t want us fired over it,” he said, with a tone of sarcasm.

Ray pursed his lips, and tried to grab Joel’s hand. He shook him off. “Are you mad?”

“No, it’s-” Joel hesitated. “You know why I didn’t want to say anything.”

“You dragged me here,” Ray pointed out. “What’s the point if you’re gonna treat me like we’re just friends? I might as well have stayed at your place.”

“No!” Joel turned to Ray, grasping his arm tightly. “I-” He stopped, and took a deep breath. “I didn’t want to- to be here, when you weren’t.” He released Ray’s arm, but Ray grabbed his hand. Joel let him hold it. “I didn’t think I could miss you so much after two weeks,” Joel said, barely above a whisper. “It’s not like this is serious-”

“I’m serious.”

They locked eyes, Ray determined, Joel unsure. “I want this,” Ray said, squeezing Joel’s hand.

“Hey, lovebirds, we got more shit to film!” Geoff’s voice carried over the parking lot, followed by a burst of laughter from the crew.

Joel frowned, and dropped Ray’s hand. “We’ll talk later,” he said, shoving his water at Ray and turning to walk away. Ray tightened his grip on the plastic bottle.

* * *

They didn’t speak on the way back. After they finished shooting for the day, and Joel changed his clothes, he went wordlessly back to his car. Ray followed, and hesitated to get in. But Joel wasn’t starting the car, and Ray’s irrational fear he would leave without him faded. Joel kept his lips pressed together the entire drive. Ray leaned against the seat, and concentrated on his breathing. He should have known this would change their dynamic. They couldn’t remain a secret forever, reveling in the small glances and sneaking hallway kisses.

They pulled into the parking lot, and Joel got out. Ray followed slowly, watching the back of his boyfriend’s head as he walked to the apartment. They went inside without saying a word.

“Joel-”

“Did you mean it?” Joel looked Ray in the eye. “When you said you were serious. Did you mean it?”

Ray stared, and gathered his thoughts. “Of course!” He stepped closer, wishing he could hug Joel, afraid he would pull away. “I know it started as a fling, but … well, would I pick you up from the airport and plan to spend the weekend with you if all I cared about was fucking?”

To Ray’s immense relief, Joel wrapped his arms around him, burying his face in the crook of Ray’s neck. After a moment, Ray returned the hug, his arms going around Joel’s chest and grasping his enormous sweatshirt. The position was awkward, Joel being much taller, but neither man cared. “You’re twenty three,” Joel said, squeezing Ray once. “All twenty three year old kids want is fucking.”

Ray couldn’t help the laugh that escaped. “Tell that to Lindsay and Michael, they’re almost the same age as me and they’re engaged.” He paused. “Did you think I’d dump you, if I got bored?”

“No, I- It’s just- I-” Joel stumbled over his words, and sighed. “Maybe.”

“Dude.” Ray pulled back, and took Joel’s face in his hands. “Okay, so yeah, maybe I wasn’t serious when this whole thing started.” He rubbed his thumb gently across Joel’s cheek. “You were a hot guy and I wanted a lay. But I thought it’d be awkward with a coworker, and I waited and watched you, and I … I got a crush, I guess.” Ray could feel his cheeks flaming. He never spoke to Joel about his feelings, even when he thought they ran deeper than they should. Joel never stayed with anyone for long. That they made it this far surprised Ray more than anything.

“Did you- did you care that we hid it?” Joel straightened, putting his hand over Ray’s on his face.

“You said before that you wanted your personal life kept personal. I figured you wouldn’t want everyone thinking you were a big gay fucker.”

“Yeah.” Joel leaned into Ray’s hand. “That was part of it.”

Ray hesitated before asking, “And the other part?”

They stayed still for a long time, Joel rubbing his fingers over the back of Ray’s hand. Ray could feel his arm getting tired, but didn’t want to lose contact during such a delicate moment. When Joel spoke, it was a whisper. “Like I said. You’re twenty three. You’ve got your whole life to figure out who you want to be with.” He pursed his lips. “I was … happy, when you showed interest.”

“And asked you out on a date afterward?” Ray tried to smile. “I thought you’d tell me to get out, we fucked, it was done.”

Joel turned his face into Ray’s palm, kissing it lightly. “You make me say the sappiest shit,” he complained, and let out a chuckle. It was his first smile in hours, and relief washed over Ray.

“So, are we good?” Ray moved closer, putting his other hand on Joel’s waist. “We basically said everything.”

“One more question.” Joel took Ray’s hand, tangling their fingers together. “How long do you plan to do this?” He quirked an eyebrow playfully. “I’m an old man, after all, I don’t have time to waste.”

Ray threw out all pretenses, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend and kissing him fervently. Joel gasped, stumbling back into the wall. Ray pulled away, grinning like a mad man. “I’ve got all the time in the world for you,” he said, pressing his face against Joel’s neck. “And I’m not gonna get bored, so don’t expect to be fucking anybody else for a while.”


End file.
